Display-stand



No'. 608,842. Patented July 5, |898.

P. MILLER. Q

DISPLAY STAND.

(Application led Sept. 13,1897.)

(No Model.)

2 L Einw/MM5?? UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

PERCIVAL MILLER, OF CARBONDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISPLAY-STAND.

SPECIFICATIVONVformng part of Letters Patent No. 606,842, dated July 5, 1898.

' )Application neaseptemberialsa?. serai No.' 651,5512. N0 moda.)

To all whom, t may concern: I

Be it known that I, PERQIVALMILLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Carbondale, in the county ofv Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new' and useful Display-Stand, ofrwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to display-stands, and particularly toa device for supporting fruit, vegetables, and similar merchandise; and the object` inyiew is to provide, in connection with a stand of simple and compact construction, suchjmeansas will enable the contents thereof or any portion thereof to be sprayed and thus kept in a moist and salable condition.

It is well known that manykinds of fruits and vegetables, and particularly such green goods as lettuce, must be kept in a moist condition to prevent withering or falling, and, furthermore, it is desirable to maintain both cut and potted flowers in a similar condition in order that they may appear fresh and resist the effect of heat, and it is my object to provide a stand adapted for supporting articles of either of these classes or of others of a similar nature whereby the application of moisture may be attained with facility and may, if desired, be made continuous.

Further objects and advantages of this in vention will appear in thel following descrip tion, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. A

In the drawings, Figure lis a perspective view ofv a stand constructed in accordance with my'invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same', showing in'` full linesadepressedi arrangement of the spraj'fing 4devices andindotted lines the Aele-` vated position of the sameas in Fig. v1. vj Fig.; 3 is a detail view of portions of the auxiliary or removable frame andthe upper trayto show the means whereby the latter is secured to the former, particularly when the spraying devices are in the depressed position indicated in full lines in Fig. 2. Fig. Lis a detail sectional view to show the means where; by one of the base-bars of the auxiliary frame is secured `in place within thelower tray.

i y Similarnumerals ofreference indicate cor- 1 designates a main or lower ltray constructed of sheet metal or its equivalent and provided at one or more-points withanoutlet or drain tube 2, said tray beingarranged upon any Asuitable support, such as a trestle or main supportin g-frame 3. Arran ged above parts inail thefigures ofthe drawythis main tray is ormay bean upper tray 4, vand it is obvious that the series may be still furtherextended to provide the desired number of trays. In the construction illustrated, however, this upper tray, which is supported by an auxiliary frame 5, is of smallerl area than the main tray and is provided with a perforated or reticulated bottom G of any suitable interstitial material, provided at its edges with an upstanding iiange or guard 7. The auxiliary supporting-frame is provided with terminal transverse Abase-bars 8, from which rise the longitudinal rods 9,` connected at suitable intervals Lby transverse braces 10, and the auxiliary or upper tray, which, rests upon the horizontal portions of' said longitudinal'rods and also upon said transverse braces, is provided contiguous to, certain of said braces with depending stop-ears 11,which engage notches 12 in said braces, thus preventing bothlateral and longitudinal displacement of the tray. Y The application of moisture to the contents ofV the tray or trays embodied in the construcvtion of. the stand is accomplished by means of spray-nozzles 13, arranged in connection with a supply-pipe 14, which extends longitudinally or otherwise of the main tray, and for the sake of convenience in manufacture and concealment,whenvinuse thispipe prefl erably `extends through the main tray,where byit may be surroundcdandjCovered by the contents of said main tray, A Thebase-bar of the auxiliary supporting-frame at thatend of the main tra-y through which said supplypipe extends is provided with an arched clasp 15 to pass over said supply-pipe, and as a means of securing said auxiliary frame against accidental displacement Ipreferably contract said arch at its lower or open side, as indicated -inl Fig. 11,and by'malingthe IOO base-bar of yielding or spring metal Iam enabled to. spring the clasp over said pipe and thereby securely fasten the frame in place.

The spray-nozzles may be of difterentconstructions to adapt them to apply moisture to the contents of the tray or trays in the required manner; but that construction which I have found most efficient embodiesa nozzle having a straight outlet of small diameter adapted to throw a fine unbroken stream, in connection with a deflector 1G, located eentrally in the path of the stream, from the nozzle and consisting of a ilat disk, in contact with the under side of which the stream of water is spread to form a fan-like spray. This construction is preferable for the reason that it secures the application of moisture to the contents of the trays without causing the water to strike said contents with any appreciable force. The stream, after striking the disk-shaped deiiector, spreads and settles upon the i'ruits or fiowers in the form of a mist, and hence it iinds its way through the smallest spaces and reaches the under sides of the objects-such as leaves, te-as well as the upper or exposed surfaces.

In Fig. l I have shown the spraying devices arranged to discharge upon the contents of the upper tray; but it will be seen that inasmuch as said upper trayis of less area than the lower and is provided with a reticulated iloor or bottom the moisture distributed by the spraying devices will iind its way to the contents of the lower tray. Itmay, however, be desirable under certain circumstances to apply moisture to one of a series or tier of tays without afl'ecting the contents of another tray, and it is in order to accomplish this that I employ spray-nozzles detachably connected with the supply-pipe, as shown in Fig. 2, in connection with removable branchpipe sections 17, adapted to be interposed between the supply-pipe unions and the spray nozzles. IIence when itis desired to spray .the contents of the lower tray the spray-nozzles may be applied directly to the supplypipe, as shown in Fig. v2 in full lines, the deflectors being interposed between said spraynozzles and the bottom of the upper tray, whereas when it is desired to apply moisture to the contents of both trays the spray-nozzles may be arranged above the plane of the upper tray and connected by means of the said removable or adjustable branchV pipes with the unions of the supply-pipe, said branch pipes terminating contiguous to the plane of the floor of the upper trayand the spraynozzles being extended through openings in the lloor of said upper tray to connect with the branch pipes.

In order to provide for the arrangement of the deilectors contiguous to the spray-nozzles in either of their adjusted positions, I preferably provide the same with supporting-arms 1S, terminating in sleeves l), to [it upon said nozzles. It is obvious that these sleeves may be revolubly adjusted upon the nozzles to vary the positions of the su lriporting-arms and maybe displaced when it is desired to remove or apply the branch pipes to arrange the nozzles contiguous to either the upper or the lower tray.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ot' construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim isl. A display-stand having a main tray, a supporting-frame removably seated in said main tray, and an auxiliary tray supported by and removably secured tothe fram e, substantially as specified.

A display-stand having a main tray, a trame removably seated in the main tray and including rods having parallel horizontal portions, and an auxiliary tray seated upon and removably secured to the horizontal portions of the frame, substantially as specified.

3. A display-stand having a main tray, a supporting-frame seated in the main tray and having transverse brace-bars provided with notches, and a removable upper tray having depending stop-ears iitted in said notches, substantially as specified.

i. A display-stand having a main tray provided with a drain, a superjaeent tray having a reticulated tloor, and means for spraying the contents of the upper tray, substantially as specified.

5. A display-stand having a tray, vertical spray-nozzles communicating with a supplypipe, and ilat deileeting-disks arranged in the path ot streams discharged by said nozzles, substantially as specified.

G. A display-stand having ul'iperandlower trays, a supply-pipe arranged contiguous to the plane ot the lower tray, spray-nozzles connected with the supply-pipe, and removable branch pipes interposed between the spraynozzles and the supply-pipe, substantially' as specified.

7. A display-stand having upper and lower trays, a supply-pipe arranged contiguous to the plane of one of the trays, and spray-nozzles connected with the supply-pipe and adapted to discharge upon the contents ot either tray, substantially as specified.

8. A display-stand having a tray, spraynozzles communicating with a supply-pipe, and disk deiieetors having supporting-arms terminating in sleeves removably fitted upon said nozzles, substantially as specified.

9. A display-stand having a main or lower tray, an auxiliary supporting-frame removably seatcd in said main tray, an auxiliary or upper tray removably seated upon the said supporting-frame and having a reticulated bottom provided with spaced openings, a supply-pipe having spaced unions alined with said openings in the bottom of the auxiliary tray, spray-nozzles arranged in alinement with said openings in the bottom of the aux- IIO extending over and removably engaged with said supply-pipe, an auxiliary tray seated n pon said supporting-frame, and spraying deviees connected with the supply-pipe, substantially as specified.

In'testimony that I elaiin the foregoing as my oWnI have hereto afxed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

PEROIVAL MILLER.

Vitnesses:

REESE HUGHES7 S. A. GILBY. 

